Clock



W. E. PORTER April 1, 1930.

CLOCK Filed April 4, 1927 Patented Apr. 1, 1930 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE WILSON E. PORTER, OF NEW HAVEN, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO THE NEW HAVEN CLOCK ('10., OF NEV HAVEN, CONNECTICUT CLOCK Application filed April 4, 1927.

My invention relates to an improvement in small portable clocks and, without being limited thereto, is particularly applicable to clocks provided with yielding crystals of celluloid or other non-breakable material, rather than glass, the object being to produce, at a reduced cost for manufacture, a clock convstructed with particular reference to the convenicnt installation of its movement within its case without the use of screws and the equally convenient removal of the movement from the ease in which the movement is normally held under tension, whereby the rattlin g of the movement and crystal are avoided and variations in the form and size of the latter fully compensated for.

With these ends in view, my invention consists in a clock characterized by having its sheet-metal case struck up to form inwardlyprojecting forwardly-facing retaining-edges or assembly-abutments which, on the introduction of the movement into the case, are engaged by the rear face of the edges of a for wardly-yielding assembly-plate carried by the said movement, fitting within the said case and forming a closure therefor, and, when so engaged with the said retaining edges, exerting a constant tensional effort to move the movement forward in the case and seat it deeper therein.

My invention further consists in a clock characterized as above and having certain other details of construction as will be here inafter described and pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings:

Fig. 1 is a view in side elevation of a clock embodying my invention;

Fig. 2 is a rear view thereof; and

Fig. 3 is an enlarged broken sectional view on the line 33 of Fig. 2.

In carrying out my invention as herein shown, the substantially-square sheet-metal case 5 is struck inwardly near its rear edge to I form four inwardly-prqecting forwardlyextending assembly-fingers 6, of which there are two pairs located opposite each other on opposite sides of the case. The ends of these fingers provide forwardly-facing retainingedges or assembly-abutments 7, which lie sub- Serial No. 180,708.

stantially in the transverse plane of the case. For co-action with these retaining-edges or assembly-abutments 7, the time-movement, which may be of any approved construction, and which is herein designated by the general reference-numeral 8, is provided at its rear end with a substantially-square forwardly-yielding sheet-metal assembly-plate 9 adapted to fit within the substantiallysquare case 5,its dimensions being just enough smaller than the interior dimensions thereof to be entered thereinto, at which time portions of two of its opposite edges engage with the inclined inner faces of the said assembly or retaining-fingers 6, whereby the same or the adjacent walls of the case or both are sprung outward sufficiently to permit the edges forwardly-faeing of the said fingers to snap back of the rear faces of the edges of the said assembly-plate, so that the rear faces of its edges are stationed in front of the said forwardly-facing retaining-edges 7 of the said fingers 6. The several parts of the clock are so proportioned that when the edges of the yielding assemblyplate 9 have been engaged with the eth cs 7 of the retainingfingers 6, as described, the movement will have substantially reached its home position in the case, with the plate 9 still under tension, which becomes its normal condition in the clock.

The said assembly-plate 9 being under constant tension in the clock-structure, as described, exerts a constant effort to crowd the movement forward and seat it deeper in the case, whereby the dial-back 10 carried by the movement is crowded forward to crowd the forward faces of the edges of the dial 11 against the rear faces of the edges of the concave-convex crystal 12, which, in'turn, crowded against the inwardly-turned re taming-flange 13 formed upon the forward edge of the case 5, the said crystal being formed of celluloid or similar material. The tensioned assembly-plate 9, therefore, exerts a constant effort to bind the movement and the crystal in lace, and not only prevents the rattling of 0th in the case, but also compensates for any changes which may take place in the shape and size of the crystal,

due to its intrinsic character. The binding of the crystal in place as described also prevents the entrance of any dust into the clock between the crystal and the dial.

Although my improved mode of installing a time-movement within a clock-case is particularly well adapted for use in clocks having yielding crystals, it is not restricted thereto. My invention is also equally applicable to clocks of other than square form.

In a clock constructed in accordance with my invention, it is only necessary to insert the movement into the open back of the case and crowd it forward thereinto until the assembly-plate 9 has been snapped into engagement with the edges 7 of the fingers (5 no screws or tools being necessary. To remove the movement from the case, it is only necessary to insert a thin instrument, such as a knife or corresponding thin edge, into the back of the case and spring the fingers 6 out wardly enough to release the edges of the assembly-plate 9 therefrom.

I claim:

1. A clock having a case-unit open at the back, a time-unit adapted to be inserted into the said case-unit through the open back thereof, a forwardly-yielding assemblymember carried by the time-unit at the rear end thereof, and an assembly-abutment located near the rear end of the case-unit and projecting thereinto, the said forwardlyyielding assembly-member and abutmentmember being relatively positioned so that I the former is sprung over the latter and tensionally engaged with the forward face thereof when the time-unit is in its home position in the case-unit, whereby the timeunit is normally held under tension in the case-unit by the said torwardly-yielding assembly-member.

2. A clock having a case-unit and a timeunit, a forwardly yielding assembly-plate carried by the time-unit at the rear end thereof and an assembly-abutment located near the rear end of the case-unit and projecting thereinto, the said forwardly-yielding assembly-plate and abutment-member being relatively positioned so that the said assemblyplate is tensionally engaged with the forward face of the said abutment-member when the time-unit is in its home position in the case-unit, whereby the time-unit is normally held under tension in the case-unit by the said forwardly-yielding assembly-member.

3. A clock having a sheet-metal case-unit, a tilneulnit, a forwardly-yielding assemblyplate carried by the time-unit at the rear end thereof, and assembly-fingers struck inwardiy from the case-unit near the rear end thereof, the said plate and fingers being relatively positioned so that the edges of the plateunit are snapped in front of the said fingers when the time-unit is shoved into its home position in the case-unit, whereby the timeunit is normally held under tension in the case-unit by the said forwardly-yielding assembly-Inember.

4. A clock having a case-unit, a time-unit, a forwardly-yielding assembly-plate carried by the time-unit at the rear end thereof and shaped to form a closure for the rear end of the case-unit, assembly-abutments extending into the case-unit near the rear end thereof in position to be en aged under tension by the edges of the rear ?ace of the assemblyplate when the time-unit has been shoved into its home position within the caseunit, whereby the time-unit is normally held under tension in the case-unit by the said forwardly-yielding assembly-member.

In testimony whereof, I have signed this specification.

VILSON E. PORTER. 

